Belt-fastener



NITED STATES ATENT Orrrcs.

HENRY'HEATON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

BELT-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,414, dated December 4, 1883.

Application filed July 10, 1883. No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY HEAToN, of

Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and St e of Ohio, have invented certain new and us 111 Improvements in BeItFasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in belt-fasteners; and it consists in certain features of construction and in combinations of parts, hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of my improved belt-fastener. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section, showing the manner of attaching the belt. Figs. 3 and 4 are plan views of thetwo ends of the belt prepared for engaging the belt-fastener.

A represents the frame of the device, and is provided with the three cross-bars a, b, and c. The barscand b are provided with tongues, as shown, those of the former resting their outer ends on the outside. of the frame, and the tongues of the latter resting on the bar 0. The frame of the device may be of any width required toaccommodate the width of belt used andthe tongues may be of any desired number. Usually about one tongue to each inch in width of the belt will be a su table number to use. As shown in Fig. 2, one end of the belt passes under the bar cand engages the tongues, and, if the end is long enough, passes over the bar b and under the bar a, while the other end of the belt passes under the outside of the frame and engages the tongues of the beltfastener, and, if long enough, passes over the central bars and under the outside of the frame. The system by which the holes on the respect ive ends of the belt are arranged for engaging the fastener is an important part of the invention, and also the said manner of securing the ends of the belt that extend beyond the tongues; The belt is prepared with holes to engage the tongues, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. These holes are in rows, both lengthwise and crosswise of the belt, the former be ing of the same number as the number of prongs that engage the end of the belt, which in the fastener shown in the drawings is three. These cross-rows on one end of the belt (represented by Fig. 3) are as near to each other as is practicable-say one inch apart-and on the other end (represented by Fig. 4) are, say, oneand one-half inch apart. When a new belt is first fitted, it should be of such length that the holes nearest the respective ends will engage the fasten er. The belt will soon stretch and require taking up from time to time,which should be done first by one end of the belt and then by the other end. This surplus of belt is not out off and thrown away, as has been the common practice; but the ends are secured in the manner described and shown in Fig. 2. After a time these ends may be let out again to the end holes aforesaid, and the extra length used in splicing breaks or bad places in the belt. After the belt has run for some time and the stretch been well taken out of it, the belt will require taking up less frequently and shorter distances at a time. The belt should only be tight enough to do its work. If tighter than this, it brings unnecessary strain on the belt and the machinery. The difficulty, therefore, with ordinary belt-fastening is to shorten the belt a sufficiently small distance. If holes are made too near the edge or too near each other lengthwise of the belt, they will tear out. The holes on one end of the belt, as aforesaid, are as close together in the rows as is practicable. If, now, the belt is let out one set of holes on the end shown in Fig. 3 and is taken up one set of holes on the end shown in Fig. 4, the belt will be shortened the.

difference between the spaces on the two ends,

or about one-half the distance between the holes on the end shown in Fig. 3, which in the supposed case would be one-half inch.

What I claim is In a belt-fastener, the combination, with the frame A, cross-bars a b c, and two series of tongues, one series mounted on the bar a, and adapted to engage one end of the frame, and the other series mounted on the bar 12, and adapted to engage the bar 0, of the belt, the adjacent ends of which are provided with perfo- IOO 

